High-pressure Intrusion Research Articles

The application of mercury porosimetry to porous polymer powders

The problem of distinguishing between intraparticle and interparticle volume in mercury intrusion data is sometimes difficult. A method of calculating a theoretical cut-off point between intra- and interparticle voids has been derived for powders of uniform size. The method has been evaluated using three polymer powders with different morphological properties. In addition, the procedure is often useful for detecting structural changes arising from the high intrusion pressures. The theoretical background to the method and some of its limitations are discussed. Scanning electron micrographs of the polymers have been used to provide further structural information to aid the interpretation of the porosimeter results.